Prologue: The Event & The Filly
They called it “The Event.” A happening with such force and such magnitude that it shut down the very fabric of Equestrian society. A coordinated terroristic effort by an evil entity that caused all of the major factories in Equestria to explode at exactly the same time. These factories were producing a deadly magic that would be akin to radiation in the human world. It hung in the air for countless eons, and nopony could breathe it or touch it, lest they die immediately. It was a fast acting magical poison, and the cause of so many deaths in the impending years.
Those who had not been killed by the massive attack were forced into hiding. Equestria had been destroyed, and now the evil group that caused the devastation were the masters of the land. Nopony dared return, nor did they break the magic barriers that separated them from their old home. Twilight Sparkle herself had decreed that Equestria was expendable at that point, and everypony needed to focus on making the best of the situation.
But times were even more difficult than ever as the ponies tried to etch out some kind of meager existence. When Twilight died, her daughter Glimmer Point was installed as leader. But her time as ruler was fraught with corruption and malice. While she herself tried her hardest to do the best she could, the ponies beneath her became intensely evil. She became a puppet, and weakly bent in the way that the bureaucratic ventriloquists forced her to. She made so many unwitting enemies as a ruler, that she was eventually assassinated. Her death was a fatal blow to the ponies, and things soon erupted into full scale warfare.
The blood of many stained the rocks red, and those who survived came together and signed a treaty to all live in one place, which they labeled “The Heavenly Zone.” The places where war had been waged were sealed off, and Equestria itself was taken away. As time passed, the history books forgot about Twilight and her friends. They forgot about Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. They even forgot about their nation. Now, they taught what the magistrates of The Heavenly Zone told them to teach, and everypony was forbidden from going into what they called “The Hell Zone.”
But this is the story of two brave little fillies who dared to venture outside of their comfort zones. One was a bright young thing, with affectionate blue eyes and a smile that would create happiness within anypony. She had nothing to lose, and everything to gain from such an adventure. But even more than that, she wanted to prove to herself that she could do it. She wanted more than what The Heavenly Zone could give her. When one gets tired of being locked in a prison without bars, then one does what she did.
The other was a year older, and rather mature and wise for her age. She was a deeply orange pony with pretty amber eyes, and was the toast of more than a few colts her age. Puberty was being rather kind to her, and she was noticed quite a lot around their town. The adult ponies would complement her parents on what a beautiful and smart young daughter they had, and she reveled in the attention. A weakness of hers was that she could be self-centered at times, but she tried her hardest not to let it affect her friendship with her sister. For, after all, what better friend to have than a sibling?
“Let me go!” Star Shine shouted as she was dragged along the cobblestones up to her house. This was the seventh time that month that she had been caught by The Angels that month. The Heavenly Zone’s police force was tasked with keeping everypony out of The Hell Zone, and they did their job well. For the most part, their gleaming badges and shiny buttons could be seen from a mile away. But Star was always caught by their secret force, a special battalion that were code named “Cherubim.”
The two police ponies tossed her back into her small, two-story house. It lay in a neighborhood towards the edge of town, nestled among the trees and smart gardens that everypony planted. It was something of a cathartic and therapeutic activity, and caused them to forget all about The Hell Zone and what might lurk inside. The idea that monsters and ghosts and evil spirits might be within threw everypony’s mind into a panic and they avoided even the appearance of wanting to go inside.
But when it came to Star Shine, her thirst for knowledge and the satisfaction of her own curiosity caused her to shun these daytime activities in favor of sneaking about in the dark. She would head out, with her safety gear on to avoid absorbing any of the noxious magic that hung in the air, and slink her way to The Hell Zone’s barrier. She would peer through the transparent magic, and observe the absolutely destroyed Equestria. She would yearn for the days of yore that she had read about in the books that she had kept hidden from her parents. As the only pony who knew the truth about Twilight Sparkle and her friends, she was desperate to return to Equestria.
“Alright, Star Shine, get up,” her father commanded as he trotted into the room. It wasn’t the first time he had seen his daughter get escorted home by The Angels, so he didn’t appear disappointed. He just seemed mundanely exasperated. “What have you done now?” His robotic voice asked.
“Thunder Sun,” the first Angel responded, “I’m so sorry that we’ve had to barge into your home, but do you know where your daughter has been…again?!”
“Beside The Hell Zone barrier,” Thunder said and then puffed out a frustrated breath, “look, Flat Hoof, she’s a young pony. We’re doing our best to teach her of the danger that lies within that accursed place.”
“Perhaps you aren’t teaching her well enough,” Flat Hoof said, “this is the seventh time this month we’ve caught her down there, and this time she nearly went inside! You know what happens to those who cross the barrier…”
Thunder knew all too well what happened. His own father and mother had been very adventurous and ambitious ponies…perhaps, too ambitious for their own good. They had managed to break the magic, and by the time the authorities arrived, they were gone. Nopony had seen them since that day, and Thunder was determined to protect his daughters from the same fate. He loved them dearly, and didn’t want to see them get hurt, or worse.
“Thank you, Flat Hoof. I’ll take it from here.”
Flat Hoof nodded and turned to leave, but not before bending down and looking Star Shine in the eye. “Listen, Star. You’re a bright young pony. You’re well liked around town, and I get constant reports of how well you do in school and how you benefit the ponies around you. I like you, Star Shine, as much as I would my own daughter. I don’t wish to see you harmed, and if you were ever to fall into the pit of despair known as The Hell Zone, we could not bring you home. For your own good, I beg of you, do NOT EVER let me catch you down there again. The town needs you…and it would be devastating for you to be lost.”
After Flat Hoof and his partner left, Thunder sat his youngest daughter up on their sofa and planted himself in his favorite chair. He eyed her severely and she knew she was in big trouble. “Star Shine, Star Shine, Star Shine,” Thunder said, “just what am I gonna do with you? I know you’re curious about what lies on the other side of the barrier, but you just can’t explore there anymore!”
“But, Daddy,” Star protested, “how does anypony know that it’s so bad over there? Nopony’s ever been!”
“You’re darn right nopony’s ever been, and nopony will! That includes you, young filly. Now, march to your room, and your mother and I will discuss your punishment.”
Star Shine pouted a bit, but did as she was told. She returned to her room, which she considered her own fortress against the whims and ways of fate. She hated the fact that she was always repressed and punished for simply wanting to know more. Knowledge is the key to true happiness, she reasoned, and I’m gonna be happy. I need to know what lies in The Hell Zone. I need to see…Equestria!
